Ready and Willing | 2015 Range Rover Sport Supercharged

By Marc Schulhof
March 2015 View more For The Road

The 2015 Range Rover Sport Supercharged is truly a riddle wrapped in a mystery. Like other high-performance Range Rovers, the Sport Supercharged performs like a sports sedan, snarling up to interstate speeds in about five seconds and sharply slicing through traffic on command. Yet faced with snow, or mud, or uncharted territory, it can tap into a deep well of Range Rover engineering and provide virtually guaranteed passage.

2015 Styling

This model—new for last year and barely changed for 2015—is also a bit of an enigma in terms of its styling. In profile, it looks much like the fashion-forward, but relatively petite, Range Rover Evoque. Yet in size and price, it bears a far greater resemblance to the much larger, more expensive flagship Range Rover

If there is a key to understanding the Sport Supercharged, it is this question: Why compromise? The Sport Supercharged seems to do everything that you might reasonably want your vehicles to do, and does them all well.

Accelerated Difference

The Sport Supercharged joins the 500-horsepower club (510, actually) with its 5.0-liter V8. And despite its SUV-ish curb weight—notably reduced by the generous use of aluminum, as compared to the previous Sport model’s steel structure—it moves with a remarkable quickness. Plant your foot when the light turns green, and you’ll be reminded why you chose the Supercharged model rather than a more sedate edition. Large brakes keep things in check on the other end of that equation.

Traction Control

Worried about winter’s last gasp, or a particularly nasty bit of spring rain? Trust the Sport Supercharged’s standard Terrain Response four-wheel drive system and a remarkably long list of electronic and mechanical traction and safety systems. Not to mention Range Rover’s reputation, which is staked on off-road capabilities, to get you where you need to go. The Sport Supercharged does not come with a license to drive foolishly, but its handling does exude confidence in bad weather.

Superior Interior

In bad weather or good, the Sport Supercharged’s cabin does Range Rover proud. The driver-centered controls, wood trim, discreet chrome accents, and wide-silled doors all come together as a luxurious statement. The seats are as comfortable as any luxury sedan’s. An optional entertainment package gives rear-seat passengers something to watch. Even better, for the front passenger, is the wide-angle view out the windshield. 

Bells and Whistles

While automatic parallel parking is no longer such a novelty act, Range Rover’s optional parking system earns a tip of the hat for adding some really useful bells and whistles. Sure, the Sport Supercharged will find a curbside space and park itself. But when you’re done with your errands, it will also pull out of the space for you. And don’t worry about finding a suitable spot in a parking lot, either. The perpendicular park feature will find a space that’s wide enough for everyone to open their doors, then back you into the space to park.

With a starting price of $79,995, the 2015 Range Rover Sport Supercharged sits within a rounding error of the Range Rover’s $83,495 price tag. But the former comes laden with all manner of added equipment, while the former is, for many luxury buyers, a blank canvas waiting for options. If you like the Sport but do not care about the supercharger, the Sport SE model trims the opening price all the way down to $63,350 by slimming the feature list and trading the Sport Supercharged’s 510-horsepower V8 for a perfectly suitable, if less rambunctious, 340-horsepower V6.